a history

Personalities

Edgar Holladay He joined
the company from Faversham where he had been employed at Shepherd,
Neame & Company, Brewers of Faversham. He had little or no
experience of the Engineering side of the business and had to learn
much from scratch.

Hugo Holladay Joined Mr
King as a partner and looked after the Ironmongery side. He had learnt
the Ironmongery Trade whilst at H. Tett & Sons of Faversham and had
heard, through a man call Watson-Smith who worked for a Gunpowder
Works,(also at Faversham) that Mr King was looking for a partner. The
Gunpowder works dealt with many businesses in the Westcoountry, Garton
& King being one of them.

Henry
Edgar Eland Holladay He joined the business in 1932 and
became a director in 1933; his father had his leg amputated in 1935 and
was not a well man and died in 1943, Although Hugo Holladay remained a
director until 1946 he had retired from the business in 1932. The new
foundry opened in 1939 and he managed the business mainly on his own
throughout the war years.

Beatrice Eland
Edgar's wife, Henry's mother. She took over as a director on the death
of her husband and there is much similarity to the role Jane Kingdon
undertook between 1793 and 1805. She died in 1964.

Alec Hugo Holladay
(Henry's brother) He became a director in 1938 but was unable to join
the Company until (fortunately) he returned from Military service after
the war having served in the Royal Signals in North Africa and Italy.

Peter
Henry Holladay Eldest son of Henry Holladay. He joined the
business and became a Director in 1968 having previously been an
Engineer with the B.B.C. After the decision was taken to close the
Foundry and the last castings were made he supervised the disposal of
the stock and plant.

Alec Hugo Holladay Garton
King Appliances were formed in 1973 and the Directors were Alec Hugo
Holladay (the first photo) and his son Michael Holladay (the second
photo). In 1980 the Workshops and Stores were removed from Tan Lane to
the Old Goods Yard, Richmond Road and it is around this time that
Gabrielle Holladay (Alec's wife) joined the business as a Director.

Michael Holladay

Gabrielle Holladay

NOTE: The business that Trades as GARTON KING APPLIANCES Ltd from 19
North Street, Exeter and from Darts Farm Shopping Village, Topsham was
formed as a result of a buy out of the Company by certain employess in
1990. They continue to trade under the sign of The Golden Hammer and
maintain the Company's long association with AGA (and now Rayburn)
Cookers. From 1990 the Holladay family ceased to have any financial
involvement with the business. The original Golden Hammer is currently
loaned to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter.